Pet Safe

dezzyd

Sorry if this has come up before

I know of a person who has 3 dogs - a beautifull collie and two energetic golden retrievers. Anyway, he has put these collars on them which give them a shock when they stray outside a set boundary.
Are these collars a bit cruel or are they a help to people who need to contain their dogs?
I am interested in peoples opinion on this. Is it a safe problem solver for dogs who stray too much?
Thanks

jap gt

does it keep the dogs in

dezzyd

jap gt wrote: »

does it keep the dogs in

most of the time it does but they live in a large estate with lots of distractions. I did see one of the dogs get a shock when she strayed off. And saying that she ran straight home

Shanao

In theory they are a good idea, but I would never reccommend them due to the disadvantages of them. Small/toy breeds definitely shouldn't wear them because of the power of the shock, and I certainly wouldn't put one on a dog younger than eight months. Along with that, I know two people who have put them on their dogs and both have had problems. The first has a labrador who after getting the shock for the first time, seems to have associated it with the people around her. Now she's absolutely terrified of anyone who comes into the garden. The other has a german shepherd who actually outsmarted it. Most of the collars give out a warning as the dog approaches the wire and this dog actually lay down next to the wire until the battery in the collar wore out, then he simply walked over it.
Not only that, but some dogs will walk straight over it; ignoring the shock, but then wont go back into the set boundary because of the shock they'll get on return.

So I wouldn't exactly reccommend them to anyone, but in saying that, they do work sometimes.

golden8

My parents have a golden retriever that wonders if he can get his head through fence. They were going to get a shock collar but discovered one of their friends had one and it malfunctioned and burnt the dogs skin.

He is an escapologist and parents have now resorted to a large pen when he wants to go outside the house.

tatabubbly

In my experience with them, it is the people who do not read and follow the instructions in the pet safe pack that end up with the problems. Esp. when they don't put up the flags, throw the dog out with it on etc.
There is smaller/bigger collars to suit any sort of dog, which people who buy these kits would find out if they asked a reputable trader.
I would have a lot of experience with these as we sell them in the place i work in.

Now I personally have a dog and don't have one for mine as I don't need it. But for people who live beside busy roads, it is a huge huge relief to know that you can let your dog outside without worrying about your dog getting knocked down.

pH

The way these collars are *supposed* to work is that the dog gets a few shocks early on, then learns about the boundary (flags) - from then on the audio beeping is enough to tell them they're close and stop advancing.

So for some people with a large property or garden, but because of its design (low front wall/no gate/ hedging rather than fencing) it would appear that it's a very humane trade-off for the dog, in return for a few (possibly nasty?) electric shocks they have a lifetime of wandering a green space, as opposed to a lifetime of being caged in a run or chained.

That's the theory anyway, if the dog is getting repeatedly shocked after a couple of days of training - and isn't retreating on the beep - then this system HAS NOT WORKED - the dog needs more training or the system needs to be abandoned.

Also some large dogs may drive through the shock deliberately - it's very hard to prevent any dog reaching a bitch in heat - or if its desire for prey or to repel an intruder is strong enough.

dezzyd

Also some large dogs may drive through the shock deliberately - it's very hard to prevent any dog reaching a bitch in heat - or if its desire for prey or to repel an intruder is strong enough.[/QUOTE]

And does the collar continue to shock repeatedly until the dog is back within the boundary? Please say there is a time-out?

astra2000

Hi op we are currently using one of these collars on our dog which is part beagle. We have put loads of effort into training him and on the whole he is well behaved, but been part beagle the problem is that when he gets a scent he will go and nothing will stop him. We live in the country side and there is cattle and sheep in the adjoining fields he had began to go into the fields and around lambing time was frightening the sheep not good. Our options were to tie him up or fence off a section of the garden for him or get the collar. Now Obviously it would be better not to have had to do any of these, but we tried tying him up giving the run of our large garden and giving him extra walks, no success he tied himself up in knots and cried so pitifuly it was terrible. We really felt the dog run was not enough room and as he is a family pet leaving him in it was not allowing him to interact with the children. The collar gives a mild shock I have tested it kind of like one of those joke shock biros. Now it isnt pleasant by any means but our dog learned very quickly probably within a couple of days that when he gets near the boundary wire a warning noise will be emitted and not to go any further. Imho this is a much better option than a dog run or tying him up and definetly better than the bullet he would have gotten from the farmer next door.
The shock on the collar we have lasts no longer than 10 seconds. You need to make sure that the radius it takes in is large enough for the dog and he is not constantly getting shocked, which will not only be painful for the dog but can burn the skin. This has never happened to our dog and we check it regularly to be sure. Now the collar probably needs charging once a week but as our dog has really learned from this we only charge it when we see him begin to get brave and push the boundary probably once a month. He also know that when we removes the collar to bring him for walks he is ok.
Now you will have all sorts of opinions from people who have never used these collars but as someone who has I can vouch for them if used correctly. Our dog has probably had about as many shocks from the collar as he has had vaccines/injections from the vet, Which in my mind are on par re pain. I dont think pet lovers would regard the vaccines as an unnecessary cruelty they are a necessary evil to help keep our pets well and alive I see the collar as a similar tool better than been shot!

dezzyd

Thanks for that info astra. It seems people do have mixed opioins on this. Some posters feel there is safety issues - i.e. the poster who said their parents dog had it's skin burnt. I have since gone and asked why my friends put these collars on and was told that the dogs were considered to be a troublesome in the estate they live in . They have not got a sufficent border to keep them enclosed so they felt this was the only way to keep them in. I started the thread because I have a dog who takes off to tear up peoples rubbish and eat our neighbours cats food (he is excercised 3 times a day and fed regularly) Have not had complaints but it is only a matter of time. I wanted to research the pet safe collars before I consider opting for this solution.
Thanks for all advice!

astra2000

dezzyd wrote: »

Thanks for that info astra. It seems people do have mixed opioins on this. Some posters feel there is safety issues - i.e. the poster who said their parents dog had it's skin burnt. I have since gone and asked why my friends put these collars on and was told that the dogs were considered to be a troublesome in the estate they live in . They have not got a sufficent border to keep them enclosed so they felt this was the only way to keep them in. I started the thread because I have a dog who takes off to tear up peoples rubbish and eat our neighbours cats food (he is excercised 3 times a day and fed regularly) Have not had complaints but it is only a matter of time. I wanted to research the pet safe collars before I consider opting for this solution.
Thanks for all advice!

Hi Dezzyd Just to let you know We bought our first one here in ireland over e200, it stopped charging so have got one new from ebay e40 including postage. Seller has good reviews so hopefully it will be ok. Our dog was constantly at our bind and digging up flower beds,we looped wire around these areas and nomore problems!

jap gt

And does the collar continue to shock repeatedly until the dog is back within the boundary? Please say there is a time-out?

it shocks 1 or 2 feet from the wire it doesnt matter what side

Zapperzy

There's been loads of discussions about these collars already. Personally Id never use one.
Here's just one of the many threads.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055863084